Lover
by Alaive
Summary: Watari asks Tatsumi for a very...strange favor.
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei 

**Notes: **Um, I just recently finished watching the anime, and so I decided to try my hand at writing something in this fandom, also my first oneshot. I chose the TatsumixWatari pairing because it wasn't really portrayed completely in the series so that gives me some room to fluctuate. Sorry if it's a little OOC. It's my first fic posted in a while so any feedback will be appreciated.

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Tatsumi Seiichiro was a man of both very few words and (in his own opinion) also of very few talents. The only genuine gift, or rather, curse he allowed himself to acknowledge was his ludicrously accurate memory, one that spanned two centuries and three and a half decades exactly.

According to that ever-unfaultable sense of nostalgia, the day he and Watari Yutaka became lovers was not anything spectacular, nor was it anywhere near dramatic. It was certainly awkward, but in its own way, it was right, it also was odd, to say the least, and, in the privacy of Tatsumi's own mind, a little pleasurable.

Watari had pranced into his office that day, slightly more cheerful than usual, which made Tatsumi more than slightly wary than usual. "Ne, Tatsumi, what are you doing during break?" the blonde Shinigami looked at him expectantly.

"Work." Tatsumi replied shortly, without ever looking up.

"Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of taking a break?" Watari questioned lightly. "I mean, when you take a break, you usually rest or something."

"…I work now, so I can rest later." Tatsumi sighed. "…Not that it's any of your business. Shouldn't you be working, Watari?"

"I can't do anything in the lab until the potion has cooled." Watari said, with a shrug of his shoulders, "It's kind of pointless going in there when the whole place is like negative eighteen degrees, even you'd agree with me."

Tatsumi gave an involuntary shudder, just what kind of potion needed cooling at negative eighteen degrees, anyway? "…Forget I asked." He murmured under his breath, "Can't you find anything better to do than distracting me, Watari?"

"…Am I being distracting?" Watari raised a vaguely curious eyebrow, "How, exactly? I'm just standing here."

"…I work better when I'm alone." Tatsumi finally gave up and put down his pen. Just ignoring Watari wasn't going to work this time, most unfortunately. "When you're in this room, I'm not alone, am I?" he asked pointedly.

"I suppose not." Watari's tone held something he couldn't recognize. "Would you go out to lunch with me if I paid, Tatsumi?"

Was that it? A typical lunch invite from Watari caused him embarrassment to no end. The mad (if not mad, then something very, very close) scientist usually yelled his request across the entire office with a giant megaphone, one of his many useless, not to mention ridiculous inventions. Tatsumi could not help but smile, just a little, "It's nice to see you're changing your ways."

"It's the only way I know you won't refuse me." Watari made a show of looking at his wristwatch, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go _back to work now_." The emphasis on the last five words was not missed.

"In that case, you're excused." Tatsumi heaved a mental sigh of relief.

"But if that weren't the case?" Watari interjected quietly, almost bantering.

Oh, yes, he definitely had to be more careful around Watari today. Tatsumi kept his tone neutral and picked up his pen again, "Then you're still excused, if that weren't the case, go back to work."

"Yeah, yeah. See you later." Lifting a hand in farewell, the blonde man went.

----

"Tatsumi, will you become my lover?"

Though Tatsumi made a pact a pact with himself not to drink during lunch break, as that would mess up his concentration and all, he accepted one cup of sake, the only reason being to calm his nerves, and now, promptly spewed the contents back into the cup. "…I'm not the type of person you'd want for a…lover." After he'd cleaned himself off the best he could, for some of the wine had stained the cuff of his sleeve, he glanced up to see, to his horror that Watari was staring back at him with a perfectly serious expression.

"…Then that makes two of us." Watari calmly took a sip from his own cup. "I don't think I'd make a very good lover, either. But will you, Tatsumi?"

This wasn't in any of the scenarios he'd created for his lunch meeting with Watari. Whenever Watari invited him out to lunch, it could only mean that Watari wanted something. Tatsumi thought that he had prepared for all of the requests that were likely to surface, he'd prepared a lecture for additional funding, a glare (quite literally) for a 'sick leave' and so on but… "Why?" he asked faintly. "Why me?"

"Why not you?" Watari returned calmly. There was a very odd glint in his golden eyes as they stared intensely back into his own grey-blue orbs.

"I don't think I'm capable of being anyone's…" that word still sounded supremely strange on his tongue. "—Lover. I have never…loved—anyone, I'm not competent of doing such a thing."

"Again, that makes two of us." Watari smiled suddenly, a smile that was way too bright and cheery to suit, as he took a slow sip from his own cup, "But we can pretend, at least, can't we?"

"Fantasies don't suit me." Tatsumi said, rather stiffly. He took in a spoonful of rice to prevent himself from saying anything else strange and stupid.

"They don't suit me any better, fantasies, that is." Watari agreed. "But we can learn. If you don't like to pretend, and I don't like to pretend, then we can try our best to make it real as quick as possible."

"…I don't understand you."

"You'll understand me sooner or later. If you become my lover, I'll understand you better too."

"Maybe not."

"But maybe yes." Watari finished swiftly, "I'd take the chance if you'd want to."

"What if I don't want to?" Tatsumi asked, in a very matter of fact tone.

"You have nothing to lose." The scientist reminded him.

"I have nothing to gain, either." Tatsumi replied a trifle harsher than what he'd intended.

"…But you don't know that."

Tatsumi set his chopsticks down and proceeded to stare out the window, where the living world full of life was running about outside. Watari was sure presistant today, he had a vague feeling that they'd be there all day, and possibly all night, if he didn't agreed to his coworker's...to say the least, rather interesting proposal.

-----

If being Watari's one and only meant picking up a whole host of bad habits, Tatsumi thought he'd assimilated into the role of 'lover' a little too easily.

Thanks to his lover, in addition to showing up to work on the dot, instead of an hour or two early, it was also pretty much routine now for him to walk around without any clothes on save an oversized shirt in the apartment that he and Watari shared when they had no guests. Watari himself sometimes wore a shirt when it was cold, but most of the time, he went around naked and shamelessly so.

The first time they tried this, was at night, when Watari oh, so casually reasoned that body heat would provide enough warmth for both of them and that clothes and clothes were not only troublesome, but also unnecessary. "This is what lovers do with each other anyway, Tatsumi." He said, a bit smug.

Privately, Tatsumi thought that sharing a single bed with clothes intact was sufficient at this point and time and he told his lover so, glaring, as if that would somehow strengthen his case.

But then, he should have known better that his protests would be futile, Watari always got the better of him, no matter how much he threatened or glared. The shorter Shinigami promptly rid him of his robe, and led him by the hand to the edge of the bed. "Hold." He said, simply, and guided Tatsumi's arms around his waist. "Gently."

Tatsumi was not a modest enough man to be ashamed of his naked self; he could stare at himself (as narcissistic as that might seem) in the mirror without flinching, but…this… "I'm not a gentle person." Yet he took great care in taking off Watari's lenses and placing them on the bureau beside the bed.

"That's fine." Watari got up and shrugged off his own robe, and sat back down. "You can make it hurt then."

"I'm not a harsh man either." Brushing a stray strand of honey blonde hair aside, he kept his hand cupped around the other's cheek, although Tatsumi did not lean forward, nor did he shy away at their sudden proximity.

"…Then what kind of man are you?" Watari asked, cautiously light.

"I…" Tatsumi decided it was safer to change subjects, so he cleared his throat.

However, Watari's lips locked firmly on his own and after what seemed like an eternity, pulled away, "No, don't tell me." he was panting, just slightly, "I'm your lover, I'll find out soon enough." He lay down, and patted the space beside him. "Let's sleep now, it's getting late." He added teasingly, after Tatsumi still did not move, "You don't want to late for work anyway, tomorrow, do you?"

Tatsumi obliged and lay facing the wall.

After a while, Watari put his arms around him again and turned him around, so that they faced each other. "Has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful, Tatsumi?"

His face felt just slightly warm. A vague smile touched the edge of Tatsumi's lips, but in the darkness, Watari had no way of knowing. "No, no one, at least…not yet." He said.

"No one except me, you mean. I'm telling you now, so you know." Watari chuckled softly and traced a finger down Tatsumi's thigh. "You are very beautiful, Tatsumi. Good night."

He dreamed, Tatsumi was too serious and too caught up in the chains of reality to dream, but he dreamed that night, naked in bed with Watari, arms wrapped loosely around the other's waist. He saw amethyst eyes. Eyes that eerily mirrored all the sadness in the world.

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Part 1/3 fin.


	2. Part 2

**Disclaimer: **Nope, Yami no Matsuei still not mine (TT), therefore my pathetic existence on this site…;;

**Notes: **Thank you for all the lovely reviews. Tatari really does need more love, ne? Well, I'll stop rambling now and let you get on with your day. Enjoy Part 2! Fluffy angsty drama and sappy naughtiness galore! Mwahahaha…

---

Tatsumi always woke, for some reason or another, before his alarm clock did, figuratively, of course. But to hear another's even breathing besides his own told him that this was different from the other days, where he woke to the dismal ticking of the clock and the ever growing mountain of paperwork that needed attention. For one thing, he did not always wake with Watari curled up snugly against him, finger tracing lazily up and down his back, sending shivers of pleasure up his spine. "Good morning, Tatsumi. Are you feeling better?"

But it wasn't a bad way to wake. Tatsumi supposed he could get used to it, eventually. He raised a bemused eyebrow, "Good morning." He returned calmly, "…What do you mean?"

"…Nothing really…" Watari eased up on one elbow and fixed him with a penetrating stare, "It's just that…last night, you fell asleep before I did, and I was watching you." He paused, "Well, never mind. It's really nothing. Just me and my idiotic self." He laughed, a superficial laugh that would have fooled no one. "Forget it, forget that I ever said anything."

Tatsumi reached up and caught the other swiftlyby the wrist, "No, tell me." If he had some embarrassing habits such as sleeptalking or snoring, he wanted to know.

"…Promise you won't get mad?" Watari's voice was suddenly childlike.

The last time Watari made this request, he'd blown up his laboratory and was in need of new facilities and funding…Tatsumi had a bad feeling about this. Though he knew his lover well enough to know that Watari would not divulge any more information if he did not agree. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, "Yes, Watari, I promise." He prepared for the worst.

"…It's just…you looked so sad, that's all." Watari finished uneasily, watching him with the eyes of a hawk, "…You weren't crying or sleeptalking or anything…you just…looked sad."

Tatsumi was silent. The amethyst orbs came back to him in a sudden, guilty pang. At last he released Watari's wrist, took his hand, and raised it to his lips. "…Maybe you were dreaming too." He replied firmly, lips still against velvet skin. "You fell asleep, and you just didn't know it."

Watari did not argue. On the contrary, he was quite eager to agree. He nodded almost fiercely, "Yeah, I do that sometimes. No, actually, I do that a lot." He lay back down, and arranged himself expertly in the cradle of Tatsumi's open arms.

Silence reigned between them after that, the only sound being the pitter-patter of raindrops drumming on the windowpane. A few moments later, his alarm went off, ultimately shattering the peace.

"You are really a workaholic." Watari said, half chiding after properly punishing the poor clock by plummeting it on the floor. "It's barely—what—six? We're not due at the office until eight-thirty."

"…You owe me a new clock." Tatsumi said, now ever so slightly peeved as he unwound Watari's arms from his waist.

But Watari extricated himself before his efforts could bear fruits. Kissing Tatsumi lightly on the lips, he got out of bed, still wearing absolutely nothing. "Stay for me, I'll get breakfast."

"Put something on. You'll catch a cold." Though Tatsumi stayed where he was. The bed seemed too big, all of the sudden, when he was in it alone.

"Nah, I'll be just a minute."

Tatsumi closed his eyes, he thought he heard the refrigerator door open, then close. Watari was probably just going to microwave something.

"…I'm back."

Tatsumi's eyes trailed to Watari's hands, they were holding a carton, and a single spoon, "…Correct me if I'm wrong…but…" his vision was severely impaired without the aid of his glasses, "---Is that ice cream you're holding? For breakfast, Watari?"

"Yep." Watari got in beside him again, "Maybe I should have put something.on It's freezing."

"Of course it's freezing." Tatsumi gathered the blonde Shinigami in his arms; the pale skin prickly with cold. "…Are you out of your mind?" he demanded, though not harshly. He slid his lips roughly over the other's, "You have hyperthermia, and yet you bring ice cream for breakfast?"

"Don't be angry. Besides, you can't get hypothermia this easily." Watari set the carton and spoon between them, "If you're holding me like this, it's not so bad. I'm not _that_ cold anymore."

Watari was right, it wasn't so bad, but quite the contrary to what his aspiring lover had just said, the other's body was still cold, not unlike an ice statue. Tatsumi sighed. "If you keep this up, you will get a cold, and it'd be your own fault."

Watari chuckled and opened the carton, despite his warnings, useless now. "…Quit being such a doomsayer." He chided gently. "It's a nice day out."

He watched as Watari took in a spoonful of what looked to be vanilla ice cream. "I can't help it." He also couldn't help smiling at the self-indulgent antics that the other displayed, they were becoming…almost too becoming. "…It's in my nature."

Watari paused, "It's in your nature." He repeated, "And not because you care about me?"

"Well, yes, that too." Tatsumi quickly made amends.

"Then this is in _my _nature. Never mind I'm centuries old, I'm still very young at heart, you know." Watari told him petulantly and continued to shovel ice cream in his mouth as if he hadn't any other care in this world. "Loosen up once in a while. It'd be good for you, Tatsumi. According to studies, people who work overtime on a regular basis are more likely to die of stress-related causes earlier than other people. "

Tatsumi smiled wryly, "A man can't die twice."

"…True, but still, it doesn't hurt."

His lover asked so many impossible things, to smile, to love, to enjoy life. But who was he to complain? Unknown to the ever unsuspecting Watari, Tatsumi asked him the most impossible task of all.

"Can I have some?"

Watari paused, spoon halfway into his mouth, he grinned triumphantly, "And I was wondering when you'd ask. Here, open wide."

"…I can feed myself ice cream." Tatsumi had a very bad feeling about this.

"I know, but since we're lovers, it'd be more romantic if I'd feed you ice cream."

"You're going to get it all over the bed."

Watari practically opened his mouth for him and delivered the spoon inside, "Stop ruining the atmosphere."

The flavor vanilla tasted so strange on his tongue.

--

To keep from feeling even more guilty, Tatsumi allowed his lover to kiss him full on the mouth, in front of everybody in the office, before shooing Watari off into the lab. Some of his bolder subordinates actually went as far as to whistle and snicker, while some of the shyer ones just stared with open mouths.

"People are staring at us."

"I know."

"The chief is probably going to hear about this."

"I know." Tatsumi sighed, "Let me take care of it. Go now." He didn't want to think about what Watari would tell chief Kondou, if anything, his job was definitely at stake, "Don't worry about it." _I worry enough for both of us…after all. _

---

Despite what he told Watari about being able to work better alone and without interruption, Tatsumi usually left his office door open while he worked, despite the raging chaos in the general lobby. He did this, because Tsuzuki Asato's desk was right outside. But no one knew this, except him, and Tsuzuki, at least Tatsumi liked to think that Tsuzuki knew. It told him, at least, that he alone was not a sinner.

Sometimes, the amethyst-eyed Shinigami, whose eyes were uncannily like the ones Tatsumi saw in his nighttime reveries, would look in and give him a somewhat guilty, somewhat wistful smile. That was how Tatsumi knew that the other still hadn't forgotten, either.

_I'll watch you from a distance. _

_It's better for both of us. _

"Tatsumi?" a voice sounded somewhere near, questioningly. "Hello?"

Tatsumi blinked, an unexpected, informal gesture that was so much unlike him, as the simple surroundings of his office sank back in. "…Tsuzuki…san." Touching a hand to his lenses, he put down his pen, "Could I help you?"

"Would you like some cake?" Tsuzuki blurted out, then looked very sheepish, "I mean…"

"…Would I like some cake?" Tatsumi repeated, raising a vaguely amused eyebrow. "Eating in this office while working is strictly forbidden, Tsuzuki, as I have told you ten million times."

Tsuzuki stared at the plate of cake in his hand, and back at Tatsumi again, "…But I'm hungry." He said, as if that explained everything. "I'll die if I don't eat."

"Where is Kurosaki-kun?" Tatsumi abruptly shifted the subject, "Isn't he usually…your partner in crime?" among other things, he was sure. "And you're already dead, just in case you forgot." What was it with this sudden rush of sarcasm?

"Um, actually…" Tsuzuki stared at the cake with renewed interest as he spoke, "…Hisoka is um, kind of mad at me, right now, it'll most likely blow over when we get home."

"And you're hoping I'll eat the cake with you why, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi fixed him with a mock stern stare, "…So I won't tell on you to Chief Kondou, maybe?"

"Something like that." Tsuzuki laughed nervously and stared down at the plate. "Please, Tatsumi? You used to say yes when we were partners."

Tatsumi could have, should have reminded Tsuzuki that they weren't partners anymore and they were never going to be again, but for some reason or another, he didn't. "Just this once, Tsuzuki-san." He consented, carefully after a long pause. "Close the door, if you please."

Tsuzuki brightened, "Really?"

"Really. Close the door."

"Thanks, Tatsumi, I owe you one." Tsuzuki was already shoving cake into his mouth.

Tatsumi smiled indulgently. "Just don't make a mess in here, or you'll be the one cleaning up." _I owe you many. One does not matter._

…_And every once in a while, I like you close by. _

----

Gah, crappy ending, whatever.

Part 2/4 finished (yes, I have made it into a four-part fic now)


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